Marijana Savic

Founder and Director, NGO Atina and Bagel Bejgl Shop

UN Region: Eastern Europe Serbia

Marijana works as the founder and director of Serbian NGO Atina to combat human trafficking and fight violence against women. Through Atina’s creative social enterprise, Bagel Bejgl Shop, Marjana creates a safe space for women trafficking survivors to learn new skills and find employment opportunities alongside other survivors and at-risk women.

Over last 20 years as a women and human rights activist, Marijana has been dedicated to directly supporting and assisting victims of trafficking and other forms of gender-based violence. Marijana is actively engaged in the capacity-building of civil society organizations and institutions that address human trafficking, violence against women and exploitation as well as promote anti-discrimination standards and policies to address the root causes of gender-based violence.

The Bagel Bejgl is a social enterprise leveraging the market-based economy to provide employment opportunities for women survivors of trafficking and those at risk of trafficking. Bagel Bejgl also generates funds for and provides reintegration programs for victims of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Through Bagel Bejgl’s reintegration program and social enterprise, women and girls who either survived violence or are at risk of trafficking learn to bake and sell the best bagels in town. The organization pledges their profits to services for survivors and those at risk of trafficking with the overall goal of ending human trafficking in the community.